


We're Falling Down Down

by nightsofsilver



Series: Best Friends & Boyfriends [1]
Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Denial, Drinking, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Highschool AU, Implied Sexual Content, Light Angst, M/M, Making Out, Pining, soft gay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-19
Updated: 2019-12-19
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:41:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21853879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nightsofsilver/pseuds/nightsofsilver
Summary: Some things are inevitable, like moving out of your parent’s house or learning to pay your taxes, but Jihoon never would have guessed falling for his best friend would also end up on the list.
Relationships: Lee Jihoon | Woozi/Lee Seokmin | DK
Series: Best Friends & Boyfriends [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1574452
Comments: 2
Kudos: 51





	We're Falling Down Down

**Author's Note:**

> t/n 96 and 97 liners are in the same grade level
> 
> Playlist on Spotify [here](https://open.spotify.com/user/nightofsilver/playlist/162IikmddwDKVDIqfAVeIa?si=jRgwBE7bRTWdPnlu-62vdg)
> 
> #

**August 12th, 2005 - Second Grade**

Jihoon hesitantly steps out onto the asphalt of the school playground. His family had just moved into town and he had started school a week late. Everyone else already had fallen into familiar friend groups but there was only one boy who had talked to him so far, Soonyoung. 

He spies the boy over on the grassy field on the edge of the playground, kicking around a ball with some of his other classmates. He walks across the blacktop and approaches the group, hoping Soonyoung might let him play too. Soonyoung quickly notices him and waves his hands in Jihoon’s direction. 

“Hey!! Hey guys stop for a second!” 

Soonyoung runs over to Jihoon to grab his arm and excitedly drag him over to the rest of the group. 

“This is Jihoon, he’s new!” 

Jihoon tries to stand a little taller and gives the group a shy smile. The boy closest to him has fluffy black hair and a toothy smile. 

“Hi Jihoon, I’m Mingyu!” 

The other boys crowd a little closer to announce their names as well and Jihoon can barely keep track of them all. Soonyoung lets go of Jihoon’s arm and gestures to the now abandoned ball lying in the grass. 

“Jihoon can play with us right?” 

A chorus of yesses ring out into the air, Jihoon happy to be free from the attention of the whole group as the boys turn back to their game. One of the boys (Seokmin if he remembers correctly) was on Soonyoung’s other side, still peering at Jihoon curiously. 

Jihoon tilts his head to the side, reaching out and waving a hand in Seokmin’s face when the boy doesn’t look away or run off. Seokmin breaks out into a wide smile that seemed to light up his whole face, giggling and darting away to join the other boys who are gathering around the ball. Jihoon looks at Soonyoung but the older boy just shrugs. 

“You can be on my team okay Jihoon? Seokmin, Jeonghan, and Minghao are on the other team so try not to pass to them.” 

“Okay!” 

Soonyoung’s team was already behind in points when Jihoon had joined in on the makeshift form of soccer they were playing and Jihoon’s lack of familiarity with the other boys doesn’t help them much, but no one really seems to mind. After a little bit he grows a little more confident in the game, running and laughing happily along with everyone else. 

Minghao is down the field a bit, a fierce look of concentration on his face as he passes the ball to Jeonghan. Jihoon immediately runs forward as Jeonghan intercepts the ball, trying to stop him from passing to someone else. He is so focused on the ball he doesn’t even notice when Seokmin steps into his path, crashing into the boy at top speed. 

They both go sprawling into the grass, Jihoon landing on top of Seokmin mostly unharmed. He rollx off of Seokmin, everyone instantly crowding around the two of them. Seokmin is curled up on his side, holding onto his leg and whimpering in pain. Jihoon shrinks back, he didn’t mean to hurt Seokmin! Would they all hate him now? Kick him out of their group and leave him friendless forever?! 

Jeonghan stepped forward and kneels down beside Seokmin’s head, gently stroking Seokmin’s back until the boy calms down enough to get up. Jeonghan wraps an arm around his waist, “C’mon, let’s get you to the nurse, I’m sure it’s not that bad.” 

Soonyoung holds out a hand to Jihoon, pulling him to his feet. 

“Are you okay Jihoon?” 

“Y-yeah.” 

Soonyoung relaxes a little at that and when Jihoon looks around he is surprised to find that none of the other boys are glaring at him. 

“Do you think Seokmin will be okay?” 

“Oh, he'll be fine. He’s kind of a crybaby anyway so it’s probably nothing more than a scratch.” 

“I hope so…” 

Jihoon wrings his hands nervously, even though no one else had seemed mad at him he could imagine Seokmin would be upset that Jihoon had hurt him. Maybe if he apologizes right away once Seokmin comes back the younger boy will forgive him. 

All the other boys abandon the ball and start a game of tag. It is easy to forget about the incident and play for the rest of recess, but as everyone files back into the classroom and Jihoon sees Seokmin sitting at his desk, his heart starts to beat a little faster and dread twists to life inside his chest. He steels his nerves and approaches the younger boy, hanging his head low and apologizing as sincerely as possible. 

“I’m really really sorry for running into you Seokmin. I didn’t mean to hurt you. Please forgive me.” 

Jihoon looks up, feeling a slight pang of guilt upon seeing Seokmin’s puffy red eyes, the guilt turning to confusion as Seokmin smiles up at him. 

“It’s okay! It was just an accident. Besides, I got a Batman band-aid! See?” 

Jihoon’s eyes grow wide as Seokmin yanks up the leg of his pants to reveal a few small bruises and a Batman band-aid on his lower leg. 

“Cool…” 

Seokmin nods, pushing his pant leg back down and raising one hand. 

“Friends?” 

Jihoon tilts his head in confusion for a moment before lightly high-fiving Seokmin. 

“Friends.”

~~~~~

**October 5th, 2013 Sophomore Year**

Jihoon leans against the wall and slides down to the floor, fishing out his lunch as Seokmin and Joshua settle in around him. They are tucked away in the corner of the Math hall where they sit everyday, backpacks serving as makeshift cushions against the hard linoleum floor. They all dig into their food, hungry after their morning classes. Seokmin sets down his half empty bowl of food after a moment. 

“So how’d you do on that chemistry test?” 

Jihoon groans. 

“It was kind of awful.” 

“I mean, that question on acids and bases really threw me for a loop, Mr. K has barely covered it!” Jihoon nods, 

“I know right? I don’t know how he expected anyone to get an A on that.” 

“Well back in my day we studied for chemistry instead of staying up all night playing Overwatch.” 

Jihoon rolls his eyes, “You’re the one who kept begging us to play one more round last week Joshua.” 

“I don’t have to study for chemistry though.” 

“Congratulations.” 

Joshua sticks his tongue out at him and takes a bite of his apple. Footsteps announce someone’s approach, Soonyoung rounding the corner of the hall, perking up when he sees the three of them. 

“Hey guys! Sorry, I stayed back in Mrs. Park’s for a few minutes to talk about my project.” 

Seokmin pats the empty space next to him and Soonyoung sits down, scooting closer to the younger. Silence returns to their little corner, Soonyoung leaning against Seokmin’s shoulder as the younger scrolls through his phone with one hand and eats a bag of chips with the other. They both giggle at something on Seokmin’s phone, and it’s a common enough occurence that Jihoon ignores them. 

He freezes up when he sees Seokmin try and subtly point his phone in Jihoon’s direction for a moment, then puts it down to laugh again. He tries to pretend like he didn’t notice anything, watching out of the corner of his eye as Seokmin repeats the motion. 

He takes a sip of water, slowly scooting a little closer to Seokmin and Soonyoung. When Seokmin isn’t looking his way, he strikes, knocking Seokmin down and snatching the phone from his hand. Soonyoung gives them an annoyed look and scoots away, picking up his lunch and continuing to eat. 

Seokmin attempts to get up but Jihoon sits up on his chest and lightly whacks Seokmin’s head with his phone. The younger boy finally stops struggling and relaxes back into the floor. Jihoon takes a look at the screen, it’s showing a video of Jihoon eating with a silly filter distorting his features. He scowls, deleting the video. Seokmin reaches a hand up but Jihoon easily holds the phone out of his reach. 

“Are there anymore?” 

“I-... yes.” 

Jihoon nods, opening the camera roll to see a few more videos and photos. He deletes the ones with weird filters but leaves the rest. Seokmin sighs happily as Jihoon finally places the phone back in Seokmin’s hand. 

The older boy can’t help but tease a little, “That’s quite a lot of pictures you have there, didn't know you liked me that much.” 

He pats Seokmin’s chest and moves off of him. 

“They were cute!” 

He’s almost endeared by the statement, but he shakes off the feeling and grabs the rest of his lunch. 

“Don’t care, no more videos.” 

Seokmin looks a little like a kicked puppy but nods, “Sorry Jihoon.” 

Jihoon picks up his phone and shoots Seokmin a text. 

“You’ll be even more sorry when I beat your ass in 8-ball.” 

Seokmin perks up, grabbing his phone, 

“We’ll see about that!”

~~~~~

**August 20th, 2016 First Year**

It’s move in day and Jihoon is pretty sure he’s already lost Seokmin. He wades through the crowd of students also carrying boxes to their new dorm rooms, finally stopping in front of room 410. He sets down his heavy box and groans, fishing out the pair of keys given to him by the RA and fitting them into the lock. Unexpectedly the door swings open, Seokmin standing on the other side. 

“Oh, there you are Seokmin.” 

“Where else would I be?” 

“Nevermind, how’s it look?” 

“A bit cramped, but that’s to be expected. By the way I totally call the top bunk.” 

Jihoon picks up his box again and waddles into the room. He sets down his box on the bottom bunk and takes a look around the room. The white walls are bare, a desk shoved catty-corner to the bunk beds, and a window overlooking paved streets in between even more dorm buildings. 

He’s sure it’s a sight he’ll grow very familiar with over the next year, but he has more important things to think about at the moment, like how the rest of his boxes are waiting downstairs, ready to be carried up five flights of stairs. 

“You wanna help me with the rest of my stuff Seokmin?” 

He turns to look for the younger boy and finds him lying down face first on his bed. His head pops up and he squints thoughtfully at Jihoon. 

“Only if you buy me coffee tomorrow morning.” 

“Deal.” 

Seokmin grins and scrambles down the tiny wooden ladder attached to the bed frame. 

“Lead the way.”

~~~~~

**August 21st, 2016 First Year of University**

The next day finds them walking across campus, full on cafeteria breakfast and heading for a cafe to satisfy Seokmin’s coffee cravings. The summer sun shines bright overhead, glinting off the glass doors of the cafe in front of them. There aren’t too many customers this early in the day and they queue up behind two girls still clad in fluffy sleepwear. Seokmin turns towards him, “So my writing class got cancelled this morning.” 

“Wait really? That’s a pretty late notice, classes are starting next week.” 

“I know right? I guess I’ll look at what’s left once we go back to our room. What writing class are you in?” 

“Uh, 1:30 on Mondays and Wednesdays, Mr. Seo I think.” 

“Hmm, maybe that one will have spots open.” 

The girls in front of them move away and Seokmin steps forward to order his coffee. Jihoon sighs internally as he swipes his card for the drink, one day into college and he’s already spending money. Seokmin’s excited grin almost makes up for it. 

“Thanks Jihoon!” 

“I said I’d buy you one for helping me out, but you’ll get no more coffee out of me this semester.” 

They move towards the exit, Seokmin’s drink in hand. 

“Whatever you say Jihoon.” 

Right before the door Jihoon turns around, opening his mouth to reply to Seokmin. He is cut off by a cool breeze and a large weight knocking into him from behind. 

Limbs and coffee go flying, Jihoon ending up on the ground with his face smushed into Seokmin’s chest. Jihoon lifts himself up on his hands blinking dazedly down at Seokmin. He looks down and notices the huge coffee stain on Seokmin’s shirt, then realizes his front is also dripping wet. 

“Oh my god are you guys okay?” 

Jihoon picks himself up and turns to face a rather tall and guilty looking boy. 

“I’m so sorry, the sun was so bright I didn’t see you through the doors.” 

He offers a hand to Seokmin as the younger boy begins to stand, Seokmin smiling gratefully and using it to haul himself up. 

“It’s alright, right Jihoon?” 

Jihoon narrows his eyes but slowly nods in agreement. 

“Please let me make it up to you, I’ll buy you another coffee.” 

A spark of annoyance flashes through Jihoon as Seokmin’s face lights up at the mention of more free coffee. 

“Really?” 

“It’s the least I could do.” 

“That would be great uh...” 

“Mingyu, my name is Kim Mingyu.” 

“Lee Seokmin, nice to meet you. This is my friend Lee Jihoon.” 

Mingyu bows his head apologetically, 

“Sorry again for bumping into you, I really should watch where I’m going.” 

Jihoon plasters a fake smile on his face. 

”Don’t worry about it.” 

“You want anything Jihoon?” 

“No thank you.” 

Seokmin and Mingyu chat back and forth as they get in line for coffee again and order. Jihoon stands behind them silently, watching as both trade numbers and discuss classes. 

“Well it was nice to meet you Mingyu, though I wish the circumstances had been a little less messy.” 

Mingyu chuckles and waves them goodbye outside of the cafe, Jihoon nodding at him with a polite smile. They turn around and head back towards their dorm building, Seokmin sipping slowly at his coffee. He turns to look at Jihoon as they reach their hall. 

“You’ve been pretty quiet, everything alright?” 

“Oh, I just… don’t like the feeling of my t-shirt being wet.” 

Jihoon wrinkles his nose, while his statement is true he’s really not sure what all has caused the swirling storm of feelings in his chest. 

“Also I smell like coffee now.” 

“Coffee smells good though!” 

“I guess, but you don’t see me dumping a cup of it on my chest every morning.” 

“I’m gonna buy you coffee scented cologne for Christmas.” 

“Please don’t.” 

Seokmin grins mischievously, unlocking the door and swinging it open. The younger boy sighs as he looks down at himself.

“Damn even my jeans are wet.” 

Seokmin’s hands tug off his shirt and tosses it to the side. 

Jihoon freezes in the doorway. It’s not like he hasn’t seen Seokmin naked before, but at the same time he’s never really _looked_ before. Smooth skin stretched over broad shoulders, and- 

His train of thought is interrupted as Seokmin looks over his shoulder, hands paused in the process of pushing down his jeans. 

“Aren’t you going to close the door?” 

“Oh! Sorry.” 

Jihoon grabs the door handle and closes it, taking a few deep breaths. Keeps his gaze low as he turns back around, shuffling over to his dresser and pulling out a clean shirt. He changes and crawls into his bed, leaning on his side and pulling out his phone. A now fully-clothed Seokmin leans under the edge of the top bunk and peers at him. 

“I’m gonna go take a shower, wanna come?” 

A communal bathroom sounds like his worst nightmare right now. 

“Nah, I’m uh, tired. I’ll just take one later.” 

“Suit yourself.” 

The door opens and closes, Jihoon dropping his phone onto the bed and shoving his face into the pillows with a groan. He’s a mess today, emotions all over the place. 

“I’m just not used to sleeping in the dorms yet, right?” 

The pillows remain silent, leaving his muffled question unanswered. He sighs and rolls onto his side, picking up his phone again. He opens up his texts and scrolls down to Soonyoung’s number. 

_“I’ve been having the weirdest day…”_

~~~~~

**September 12th, 2018 - Third Year**

He spins the bottle with a flick of his wrist, watching intently as it rotates around and around. It finally lands on a girl he couldn’t quite remember the name of. Jeonghan speaks up across the circle. 

“Shot?” 

Jihoon shakes his head and Jihyo, or maybe it was Joy, stands up, her face turning slightly pink as she walks around the circle to plant a chaste kiss on his lips. He smiles at her in a hopefully non-creepy way and she hurries back to her seat on the other side of the circle. Soonyoung hums and elbows him in the side enthusiastically, Jihoon rolling his eyes at the older boy. 

He doesn’t look over at Seokmin but he can feel him scooch a little closer, leaning over to watch as Soonyoung spins the bottle next. It lands on Mingyu, who shoots a terrified glance over in Wonwoo’s direction as Soonyoung crawls into his lap. 

“Don’t look so scared Gyu, Wonwoo isn’t going to crucify you over one little kiss.” 

Mingyu relaxes a little at Soonyoung’s words and the game continues on. By the time it is Seokmin’s turn, Wonwoo has changed from relaxed to a bit annoyed at the amount of people that have ended up kissing Soonyoung. Seokmin reaches out and gives the bottle a spin, eyes going wide as it lands on the person directly to his right. 

A few soft whispers spring up around the room. Jeonghan picks up the half-empty bottle of alcohol, surprised when Seokmin shakes his head and Jihoon turns to look hesitantly up at the younger boy. Seokmin raises an eyebrow, wordlessly mouthing “Can I?”

For some reason, he doesn’t feel uneasy at the idea, maybe just drunk enough to wonder what Seokmin might taste like. He nods, holding still as possible as Seokmin tilts his chin up with one hand and leans in. Jihoon squeezes his eyes shut and it feels like the whole world stops the moment their lips meet. 

Jihoon feels an inexplicable urge to kiss him back. He wants to tangle his hands in Seokmin’s hair and to kiss him again and again and again until he has to come up for air. Seokmin pulls away and the music, lights, and voices around him suddenly spring back into existence. 

Everyone’s attention is focused on Soonyoung as he grabs the bottle, no one noticing the slight tremor in Jihoon’s hands as he fights to focus on the game in front of him. Soonyoung lands on Wonwoo this time, who is way too pleased at the turn of events and refuses to let go of his boyfriend after their kiss. 

The game ends quickly after that, everyone too drunk or too tired at that point to stick around. Jihoon manages to snag another drink before the liquor is all put away and downs it in a couple of gulps, which doesn’t really help with the feeling of disorientation that has plagued him since the kiss, but it does make everything a lot easier to laugh at. 

He giggles as Seungcheol pulls him out of the kitchen and stuffs him into his car, leaving him squished in between Jeonghan and Mingyu in the backseat. He leans on Jeonghan’s shoulder and laughs as Mingyu and Seokmin do their best to sing along to all the songs that come on the radio.

He laughs some more as he and Seokmin are dropped off in front of their apartment building, waving happily at Seungcheol’s car as it drives off. A wave of tiredness rolls through Jihoon as he turns and follows Seokmin into their building, giggles fading into a huge yawn. 

He absentmindedly leans against the elevator walls as Seokmin presses the button for the fifth floor. He is leaning heavily on one foot so when the elevator suddenly comes to an abrupt stop, it sends him stumbling into Seokmin’s side. The younger’s hands instantly came up to steady him. 

“Shit,” Jihoon mutters, glaring at the unmoving machine around them. He turns to face Seokmin and whatever he was going to say next is immediately forgotten as he notices how close the two of them are. The younger boy seems quite concerned at their current situation, but his eyes are soft as he looks down at Jihoon. Jihoon takes a deep breath in. 

“Seokmin?” 

“Yeah?” 

“Can I kiss you?” 

Seokmin stiffens and nods jerkily, obviously caught off guard by the question. Jihoon leans forward this time, the world suddenly feeling a little more stable under his feet as Seokmin immediately kisses him back. 

He indulges himself in the urge to thread a hand through the hair at the back of Seokmin’s head and press more firmly into the kiss. It tastes like cheap alcohol and coffee, and for once in his life Jihoon doesn’t mind the bitter flavor of the latter. He lets out a tiny whimper, jerked suddenly away from the kiss as the elevator starts to move again. 

Seokmin grins down at him. 

“Too bad, I wouldn’t have minded being stuck in here for a little while longer.” 

Before Jihoon has a chance to respond the doors to the elevator open and Jihoon pushes himself off of Seokmin in order to grab the younger’s sleeve and tug him forward. Seokmin giggles as Jihoon drags him down the hall, impatiently clinging to Seokmin’s arm as the younger struggles to fit their room key in the door handle. 

Jihoon had never imagined that Seokmin would be pinning him against their door and kissing him so fiercely like this. He growls low in his throat as Seokmin roughly grabs his ass and practically melts against the younger as Seokmin sucks on his tongue, fingers sliding underneath Seokmin’s shirt to press against his warm skin. 

When Seokmin pulls away to catch his breath Jihoon takes the chance to push him back gently until he bumps against the bed frame, sitting down on the lower bunk and letting Jihoon crawl into his lap. 

Jihoon pauses to help Seokmin in tugging his shirt off, using the added height from his new position to take control of the kiss this time, enjoying the little muffled whines that spill out of Seokmin. He places his hands on Seokmin’s chest and pushes him down onto the bed, pressing kisses down the younger’s jaw, softly biting bruises into his skin. 

He wants to stay here forever, in this feeling of burning warmth with the taste of Seokmin’s skin on his tongue. He pulls away, breathing heavily and admiring the red-purple pattern on Seokmin’s neck. Seokmin’s hands tighten where they rest on Jihoon’s hips. 

“Hey Jihoon?” 

“Yeah?” 

“Can we... not go any further?” 

“O-oh yeah that’s fine whatever you’re-” 

“No no I…” 

Seokmin looks away, tongue darting out to run over his lips and Jihoon has to fight to stay focused on what he is saying. 

“I just really like you. Like you, like you. And I don’t us to fuck, go back to being just friends, and act like it never happened. I don’t think I could stand that. So please tell me you like me back or…” 

Jihoon doesn’t really know what to say, he hadn’t thought much, just acted, and his head feels too fuzzy to come up with anything concrete. 

“I don’t really know, I know that I want you and that I’m probably too drunk to give you a better answer at the moment.” 

Jihoon moves back as Seokmin sits up, “We should probably just go to bed and talk about this later…” 

Seokmin relaxes a bit and smiles up at him. “Can I kiss you again though?” 

“Definitely.” 

Jihoon leans forward, this kiss much softer than all the other ones they had shared in the past hour. He slides off Seokmin’s lap and collapses into the bed, prodding Seokmin with his feet. 

“Now get off my bed.” 

Seokmin swats at his legs, standing up and heading into the bathroom. Jihoon tugs off his clothes and switches off the lights, curling up under the covers as Seokmin returns. The younger quietly climbs up into the top bunk. 

“Goodnight Jihoon.” 

“Goodnight Seokmin.”

~~~~~

**September 15th, 2018 - Third Year**

The morning after wasn’t that awkward, but that was probably due to the fact that both of them had been a little hungover. Classes and friends and everything else suddenly seemed to take up all of Jihoon and Seokmin’s time. They don’t get a chance to talk over the next few days, but that does give Jihoon plenty of time to think. 

He is now sitting in an empty recording studio, trying in vain to finish off the last piece of a song that just doesn’t sound quite right yet. He sighs, rubbing tiredly at his eyes. A loud beep rings from his phone and he grabs it to see who is texting him.

Seokmin  
_What are you doing today?_

Jihoon  
_Nothing until 5  
In the studio_

Seokmin  
_Do you want to talk?_

Jihoon  
_Yeah_

Seokmin  
_Omw_

Jihoon sets down his phone, fingers tapping nervously on the desk. He knew he wouldn’t be able to get anything done at this point so he resorts to spinning aimlessly in his chair as he waits for Seokmin to arrive. He stops the chair with his foot when he hears a soft knock at the door. 

“Come in!” 

Jihoon sits up, dazed for a moment as the room slowly stops spinning. Seokmin steps into the room, giving him a shy wave and squinting in the dim lighting. He takes the only other seat in the room, an armchair in the far corner of the studio. Jihoon feels an odd weight settle in his chest as he drags his gaze up and down the younger boy. 

Seokmin was pretty, he had always been the one out of the two of them who got hit on at clubs and love letters in school. Jihoon didn’t know why it took him so long to realize what was apparently so obvious to everyone else, or maybe he had realized it long ago but had been too afraid to admit it. 

“Can I ask... how long?” 

“Have I liked you?” 

“Yeah.” 

“I’ve always thought you were cool,” --Seokmin chuckles fondly-- “and cute, but I guess I knew it was something more freshman year.” 

“That’s a long time to like someone.” 

Seokmin hums and nods, looking far more relaxed than Jihoon thought he would be.

“You know I came out senior year, so figuring out my feelings was and still is a little confusing. I think… well remember when we met Mingyu?” 

“Of course.” 

“And how I took a while to warm up to him?” 

“Yeah?” 

“I think that had more to do with how quickly you two got so close than him spilling coffee on my favorite shirt.” 

“Oh.” 

“I think there were a lot of little moments, little things that were easy to ignore in the moment, but all together it’s kind of obvious.” 

It suddenly felt like the distance between them was too much, Jihoon standing up from his chair. 

“When I kissed you in the elevator it wasn’t because I was drunk and just wanted to fuck, well maybe a little but I just realized I wanted you and I was allowed to want you. All of you that is.” 

With every word he stepped a little closer to where Seokmin sat, the younger staring at him with wide eyes. 

“I was allowed to want to kiss you and hold your hand and take you on a date and fall asleep next to you so I let myself indulge in that a little and kissed you and I really want to do it again but I’m sorry if it was a little confusing after years of not showing any sign that I liked you and then not being able to give you a clear answer but honestly I was-” 

Seokmin reached out and grabbed his hands. 

“Jihoon stop. Breathe.” 

He did as he was told and took a few deep breaths, feeling his racing heart begin to slow.

“I get it, it’s okay. I’d really like to do all those things and more with you. God I’ve liked you for years, this feels very surreal.” 

Jihoon squeezed Seokmin’s hands, a weird mix of relief, happiness, fading nerves, and the shaky uncertainty of something new rising in his chest. 

“I’ll do my best to make up for all our lost time.” 

Seokmin smiles, his bright grin burning away the last of Jihoon’s nerves and leaving a soft warmth in its place. He lets go of Seokmin’s hands and rests his own gently on Seokmin’s cheeks. He leans in to kiss him, which he had honestly wanted to do since the younger had walked in. Seokmin put a hand on his chest before he could get very far though. 

“So… can I call you my boyfriend?” 

Seokmin could probably feel his heartbeat pick up its pace but he fought to keep a straight face. 

“Uh, yeah?” 

“Great.” 

Seokmin fists his hands in Jihoon’s shirt and pulls him down into his lap, finally closing the distance and kissing the older boy. It feels like he is spinning in his chair again, everything beyond the feeling of Seokmin’s lips moving against his blurred and far away. The weight on his chest is gone and Jihoon feels so light, like he can float off into the air at any second, Seokmin’s warm grip on his waist the only thing keeping him anchored to the ground. 

He barely hears the approaching voices, doesn’t register it in time to realize what’s going on when the studio door swings open. Soonyoung lets out a loud screech and swiftly shuts the door. Jihoon stumbles to his feet, face entirely red. Soonyoung hasn’t left yet, his loud voice filtering through the door. 

“Oh my god Wonwoo they were _kissing_. Jihoon and Seokmin. Oh my god.” 

“Should we go?” 

“Yes, wait no I want an explanation! WHY DIDN’T THEY TELL ME ABOUT THIS?!” 

Jihoon yanks the studio door open. 

“Go away Soonyoung.” 

“Jihoooooooon.” 

“No. Go away. I’m sure Seokmin will tell you all about it later.” 

“You’re so mean.” Wonwoo sighs, wrapping an arm around Soonyoung. 

“Let’s go babe, they’re busy right now.” 

Soonyoung points two fingers to himself and then to Jihoon, finally letting Wonwoo drag him away from the door. Jihoon gently closes the door and turns towards Seokmin, 

“I would apologize for that but he’s your best friend too.” 

“Well at least that gets one awkward conversation out of the way.” Jihoon frowns, walking back to the chair and climbing into Seokmin’s lap again. 

“Not really.” 

Seokmin shrugs, “Oh well, I’m not gonna worry about when I have much more important things to be doing.” 

“Oh? Like what?” 

Seokmin’s answer comes in the form of a kiss and Jihoon is suddenly also too preoccupied with more important things to worry about future awkward conversations.

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, this idea kinda sprang up on me out of nowhere and it turned into this *gestures vaguely* thing. I have an endless amount of love for Seokhoon so I hope you enjoy them being cute and gay
> 
> Kudos and comments are very much appreciated, say hi me on twt if you [dare](https://twitter.com/home)


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